Learn To Brew – Fresh Wort Kit

What’s in the box

The Malt Miller fresh wort kits all include:

• Fresh wort concentrate specific to the beer style (aka “fresh wort base”)
• Dry yeast matched to the beer style
• Hop pellets
• A “hop sock” (a fine mesh bag to help you dose hops cleanly)

Some kits may also include finings that will help improve the clarity of your finished beer.

You can also buy the fresh wort bases separately to create your own recipes.

Equipment you need

To make a fresh wort kit, you will need:

• Fermenter (approx. 23L in volume – 20L for the kit plus 3L headroom)
• Airlock
• Hydrometer
• Cleaner and sanitiser solutions
• Bottles or kegs and associated bottling / kegging equipment

All these items are included in our starter equipment bundle.

A long-handled plastic or stainless steel spoon is also useful for stirring the wort.

You will also need 5L of clean water to dilute the kit to the full brew length. Tap water is okay but bottled or treated water can give you even better results. See our advanced guide for more information.

How long will my kit keep?

Fresh wort bases (the bag of wort concentrate) are packaged in sterile conditions and will keep for up to 12 months, though the flavours will be better if used sooner. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. Once you open the fresh wort bag it must all be used immediately – no saving some for later!

Making your kit

Before you start, if you were keeping the yeast packet in the fridge, take it out and let it gently come back to room temperature.

Start by sanitising your fermenter. We suggest part-filling the fermenter with sanitiser solution and shaking this around to cover all the surfaces. Then drain the solution out through any valves or taps on your fermenter. A spray bottle filled with sanitiser solution can be useful for other equipment or to touch up any parts you handle after sanitising.

You should also sanitise:

• the spoon you will use to stir the wort
• the lid of the fermenter (inside and outside)
• the airlock
• scissors for opening the wort bag and yeast
• the outside of your wort bag (where it will pour from) and the packet of yeast

When all your equipment is sanitised, measure out 5L of clean water. Use your scissors to carefully open the wort bag, then pour the contents into your fermenter. Then rinse out the wort bag with your clean water and add this to the fermenter as well. Add any remaining water from your 5L to give a total of 20L in your fermenter.

Next add the yeast. Open the packet and sprinkle all the contents onto the surface of the wort. Use your sanitised spoon to gently stir the yeast into the wort – this will add oxygen to help the yeast grow. It’s okay if the yeast clumps up – let it sink by itself. Make sure not to touch the wort or the inside of the fermenter with anything that hasn’t been sanitised, especially your bare hands.

Put the lid on your fermenter and fit the airlock. Place the fermenter somewhere with a consistent room temperature (between 17-22°C, or the temperature range stated on your yeast/recipe) and away from direct sunlight.

Now you just need to wait for the yeast to turn your wort into beer!

Fermentation

Dry yeast is dormant while it’s in the packet and will take a short time to “wake up” when introduced to your wort. This can be up to 48 hours but may be much less than this.

Once the yeast is “awake” it will break down the sugars in the wort and produce alcohol. This develops and rounds out the flavours of your beer, so it’s important to give the yeast time to fully complete its work.

Most fresh wort kits will take around 7-10 days to complete fermentation. You should take a measurement of the beer to be sure that fermentation is complete.

Your kit will include details of the expected “final gravity” for that specific combination of wort and yeast. When you are towards the end of fermentation, take a gravity reading and make a note of the number. It should be within 2-3 points either side of the expected gravity: for example, if the expected final gravity is 1.014, the actual final gravity can be between 1.012-1.016.

When you get the same gravity reading in this sort of range for several days in a row, you can be confident fermentation is fully complete.

Hop additions and finings

Your kit may include additions such as extra hops and/or finings to make your beer clearer. Your kit will include details of when to add these, usually either during or after fermentation is complete.

We’ve included a “hop sock” (a fine-mesh bag) in your kit to make it simpler to add hops. Simply pour the hops from the packet into the sock, tie the top, then open your fermenter and drop the sock inside. You don’t need to sanitise the sock as hops are naturally anti-bacterial. You should still be careful not to touch the wort or the inside of the fermenter with your bare hands.

Be sure to follow any notes given alongside the hop and/or fining additions for the best results. These notes might include setting new temperatures for the fermenter as well as the right length of time to leave the additions in. If you don’t have temperature control for your fermenter, try to maintain a consistent temperature throughout.

When the secondary additions have been added and left for the time stated, the next stage is to transfer your beer into kegs or bottles, ready for drinking!

Packaging

If you have temperature control for your fermenter, it’s a good idea to cool your beer as much as possible before you transfer it to kegs or bottles. A rapid drop in temperature for a few days (a “cold crash”) helps suspended yeast and other sediment fall to the bottom of the fermenter. If your fermenter is small enough (and your fridge is big enough) you can put the whole thing into the fridge to chill.

The equipment and process for packaging your beer into kegs or bottles depends on your fermenter and your choice of packaging. Make sure that everything that comes into contact with the finished beer is clean and thoroughly sanitised before use, including:

• Fermenter taps and valves – spray sanitiser inside valves with a spray bottle
• Any transfer pipes and/or beer line – fully immerse these in sanitiser solution to make sure they are covered inside as well as out
• Inside and out of any siphons or other equipment for transferring beer out of your fermenter
• If using kegs, all surfaces inside your keg, plus lid, posts, and disconnects
• If bottling, bottles and caps plus inside and out of any bottle filling equipment

If you have a choice of packaging, some beers will suit serving from kegs and others may be better bottled.

Your kit will include information on how much you should carbonate your finished beer. If you are using kegs, we generally recommend carbonating by pushing CO2 from a gas cylinder into the beer (“force carbonation”). See our complete guide to kegging and force carbonation here.

If you are using bottles, we recommend adding priming sugar to each individual bottle before filling. This ensures a consistent level of carbonation in each bottle. You can use dextrose, table sugar, or carbonation drops.

Conditioning

As tempting as it might be to guzzle all that delicious beer as soon as it’s packaged, some beers will benefit from some conditioning time so you can enjoy them at their best.

• Beers that have been force carbonated should be allowed 24 hours after packaging to settle.
• Beers that have been carbonated using priming sugar or carbonation drops should be stored for 7-10 days at room temperature (between 17-22°C) to fully carbonate, then 24 hours in the fridge to settle.

After the initial settling period, the conditioning time will vary by the style of beer.

• Very hoppy beers should be kept cold and enjoyed as soon as possible.
• British and malt-forward ales will benefit from 4-6 weeks conditioning time.
• Lagers benefit from 1-3 months conditioning as cold as possible.
• Dark and higher alcohol beers tend to keep improving with age.

Customising your fresh wort kit

You can tailor your kit in many ways by varying the ingredients or processes. Check out our full guide for more information!